BOS Agrees with KV’s/KO’s Advertising Assessment of Trisskrapet in TV4

SWEDEN (April 26, 2024) — The Online Gaming Industry Association (BOS) agrees with the Swedish Consumer Agency’s (KV) and the Consumer Ombudsman’s (KO) assessment that the Trisskrapet in TV4 is an advertising feature, and thus not an editorial feature. BOS welcomes that KO is now ending that part of the process.

If Svenska Spel does not stop the advertising elements, BOS looks forward to KV following up on its earlier call to Svenska Spel to comply with the provisions on advertising identification and broadcaster declaration in section 9 of the Marketing Act and the information obligation in ch. 15. Section 3 of the Gambling Act with information on the 18-year-old age limit and where to turn in case of gambling problems.

• The Swedish gaming market must be characterized by a high level of consumer protection. A cornerstone of good consumer protection is that people are clear about what constitutes gaming advertising, i.e. that they are not tricked into thinking that an advertising feature would instead be an editorial feature. The daily Trisskrapen on TV4 has been anything but clear on that point, and we welcome that KO now finally establishes that the features constitute advertising and nothing else, says Gustaf Hoffstedt.
• Now it remains for Svenska Spel to introduce the mandatory consumer protection labeling of Trisskrapet. Since the company has not shown any excessive eagerness to introduce this voluntarily, KO should ensure that this happens as soon as possible. Every day and every Trisskrap that does not contain the statutory consumer protection label is another lost day for a safe and secure gambling market, concludes Gustaf Hoffstedt.

The industry magazine Resumé writes about the case: https://www.resume.se/alla-nyheter/nyheter/ko-avskriver-arendet-mot-svenska-spel/

SOURCE: Online Gaming Industry Association (BOS).